Dr. Kate Clancy poses with drawings representing her work. Photo courtesy of Fred Zwicky.
ELLA HALL | STAFF REPORTER | erhall@butler.edu
Though nearly 2 million people experience menstruation each month, little research has been done to explore this component of women’s health. Historically, women have even been left out of medical research due to long-standing assumptions that menstrual cycles would interfere with results.
Now, steps are finally being taken to shed light on the true workings of the uterus and the phenomenon of menstruation that so much of the world goes through.
Biological anthropologist Dr. Kate Clancy is a prime example of someone who has used her knowledge and platform to make menstruation a more understood subject. She spoke at Shelton Auditorium on Jan. 16 to share her expertise within the field of gynecology as part of the Woods Lecture Series. This series, offered by Butler and free to the public, consists of bringing in a variety of speakers who are masters in their fields, primarily within the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and math.
The Woods Lecture committee invited Clancy based on interest in her new book, “Period: The Real Story of Menstruation” and how she could use her communication skills to bring light to an underrepresented topic in the medical field.
Dr. Andrew Stoehr, the chair of the committee and associate professor of biology, explained why he felt Clancy would be a good fit for the series.
“Her topic was interesting, and in some ways, a little bit outside of the box,” Stoehr said. “Not many people have written books like hers.”
Clancy’s “Period: The Real Story of Menstruation” takes an in-depth look at the history of menstruation science and how it is still a largely misunderstood process. Her lecture included explanations of some of the research she did for this book and a feminist look at the way menstruation is viewed within a male-dominated field.
A highlight of the night included Clancy’s spotlight on the adversity female scientists face in their jobs. She noted that the medical field was built on a patriarchal system, often resulting in male scientists using patronizing language to belittle the feats of their female coworkers. This has led to several instances of research misrepresentation within many areas of women’s health.
Her work revealed the lack of menstrual health knowledge across the medical field and how that translates into outcomes in women’s health. In recent years, the exposure of this by researchers like Clancy has led to increased developments in women’s health. This can be seen in a recent study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Clancy shared some personal experiences with false theories about menstruation and the research she has done to disprove them. One instance of this had to do with the phenomenon of women experiencing changes to their menstrual cycle after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, while many doctors denied this as a possibility.
Through extensive research and surveys, she showed the vaccine could enact significant changes in the processes of the uterus.
Addie Dobry, first-year history and anthropology major, was captivated by this story in particular.
“I loved all the statistics she brought up about gaslighting in the medical field and how COVID vaccines can affect your cycle,” Dobry said. “I thought it was fascinating that she was able to show that there is research when everyone wanted to tell us we were wrong.”
Dobry was not the only student who felt impacted by the insight she gained from this lecture.
Ashlyn Minton, a senior creative media and entertainment major, expressed her excitement that younger generations are being exposed to information like this, especially those who may be entering the healthcare field.
“Seeing all the other women there felt very empowering, thinking about how maybe one of these people might go on to make a change and get a conversation going,” Minton said. “I feel like it’s still just such a taboo topic.”
She felt that it is important to make women’s health as a whole a more popular subject. Even though menstruation has existed as long as people have, those who experience it still face discrimination and sometimes disgust when the topic is brought up. Many women in the audience expressed their immense gratitude for topics in this area being openly discussed. Clancy encouraged them to continue the discussion by bringing these topics up with those close to them.
Dobry championed this sentiment of normalizing more conversations around menstruation.
“I thought it was a great opener to a bigger conversation,” Dobry said. “I feel like making it more normal to talk about your period is so important.”
Clancy was the first of the speakers for the 2025 Woods Lecture Series. Chanda Prescott-Weinstein will be the next, visiting Schrott Center for the Arts on Feb. 18.
The speakers of the Woods Lecture Series bring a diverse array of perspectives and insight to the Butler community. Clancy is just one example of how representation within any given field can inspire others to take action for inclusivity.